


Love Like You

by xoPrincessKayxo



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Established Relationship, Fairies, Family, M/M, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 18:39:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13440858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoPrincessKayxo/pseuds/xoPrincessKayxo
Summary: Fairy!AU- Dan and Phil are happy being the Guardians of the Fairies, making sure each fairy chooses the right path for their child. Until one day, when they make a decision that changes everything





	Love Like You

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this for Phandom Reverse Bang, but... that didn’t quite pan out, and it’s been sitting in my drafts since November, so here it is! As always, thank you to @yourfriendlyblogstalker for being a wonderful beta   
> (Title from Steven Universe song of the same name)

**_Prologue_ **

Every minute of every day, a child is born. Each child is unique, and each child is assigned a fairy, born at the same minute they are to be their lifelong companion and protector. But fairies need guidance too, and not all fairies choose good. That’s where The Guardians come in. The Guardians, Dan Howell and Phil Lester watch over the fairies, making sure they choose to do the right thing and lead their child in the right direction.

One summer, on a rainy night, a baby named Charlie is born, changing The Guardians lives forever. The Guardians usually preferred to stay hands off in caring for their children. There are far too many and there just isn’t enough time to care for them all. They intervene only when absolutely necessary, and it was clear the day Charlie was born that their intervention was needed.

The fairies were welcoming Peri into the world, celebrating another bond that would last for life, but it was clear immediately that something was wrong. Fairies usually appear, and then stay in the fairy realm for a few months to learn how best to care for their child, before appearing to their child in the human world.

Peri was different though. The minute she was conscious, she was zooming towards the exit, saying she needed to get to Charlie now. The other fairies, at a complete loss of what to do, rushed to alert The Guardians that a fairy was leaving without training. They rushed to follow her, but she was already in the human world. Deciding they didn’t have much of a choice, they readied themselves and followed her there.

“Peri! Peri, please come back home!” Phil called when they caught up to her.

“You’re not ready yet,” Dan added pleadingly.

Peri just shook her head, pointing at the ground, and for the first time, they noticed where they were. They were standing outside of a hospital, where an infant was swaddled in a basket on the steps, wailing.

“She was going to die out here. I had to,” Peri explained rushing towards her, “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

The Guardians shared a look, a silent conversation occurring for what seemed like hours. Then, finally, they nodded.

“Yes, there is.”

The decision made that night was one that would change the lives of everyone involved in ways no one could see coming.

 

* * *

 

**_Fourteen years later_ **

“I just don’t understand why I can’t train with Peri,” Charlie huffed, crossing her arms. It was the millionth time they’d had this conversation, but this was the one house rule Charlie refused to accept.

“Because it’s Peri’s job to protect you,” Dan told her, the same way he always did when she got like this.

“But who’s gonna protect Peri?” Charlie challenged immediately.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Phil, who was always the more patient of the two, explained.

“But you can’t intervene,” Charlie pointed out, annoyed.

“Not unless it’s absolutely necessary, no,” he replied.

“Then I should be training too,” Charlie decided, crossing her arms.

“What’s everybody all frustrated about?” Peri asked, sitting down at the table next to Charlie.

“Nothing,” everyone responded at once.

“Yeah, right,” Peri huffed, but sat down anyway.

“Excited for training today, Per? Today’s the day we start working on using your wand in combat,” Phil asked, immediately jumping to change the subject.

“I guess,” Peri shrugged.

“Guess? What’s wrong?” Phil asked, worried.

“Why don’t I go to school?” Peri asked after a minute.

“Peri, you barely have control projecting your human form. How would you possi-” Dan was cut off by Phil kicking him sharply under the table.

“Do you want to go to school?” Phil asked, looking over at Peri.

“Sometimes. I mean, if every kid has a fairy, what are all the other fairies doing while the kids away all day?” Peri wondered.

“Whatever they want, really. Some explore the human world, some meet with other fairies to train and talk about their kids-”

“Some are evil and plot to overthrow us,” Dan broke in.

“That is a very, very small portion of fairies, and not something you should worry about,” Phil told her reassuringly.

“What happens to those fairies’ kids?” Charlie asked, her urge to sulk overcome by her curiosity.

“We watch over them, make sure they’re not lead astray,” Phil explained.

“What happens if they are?”

“That’s not something either of you have to worry about. Now, Charlie you should get to school, we don’t want you to be late,” Dan said, effectively ending the conversation.

“Can Peri walk me?” Charlie asked hopefully.

“Of course. Per, come straight back so we can get started on training, okay?” Phil requested, turning to Peri.

“Okay,” Peri huffed, but it was clear she was unsatisfied with how the conversation had ended.

“‘Let’s go to the human world and raise a child’, we said. ‘How hard could it be?’” Dan said as he and Phil gathered up all the dishes from breakfast.

“You’re just upset Charlie doesn’t believe everything you say anymore,” Phil teased as they stood at the sink, Dan handing him dishes to dry after he’d washed them.

“Remember when she was six and we convinced her a dragon would steal her dolls if she didn’t clean her room?” Dan asked wistfully.

“Yes I do. I also remember tripping over her toys exactly three days later,” Phil pointed out. Still, he couldn’t help but smile fondly at the memory of little Charlie, barricading the door to her room with her arms, begging them not to tell the dragon.

“We don’t even get the three days anymore.”

“Well, no,” Phil conceded with a shrug, “But she wasn’t going to stay six forever. And she’s grown up to be intelligent and strong, which is more than we could’ve asked for. She’s also incredibly stubborn. She gets that from you.”

“Shut up,” Dan laughed, turning off the water.

“And besides, we have about twenty minutes before Peri gets back- let’s not waste it,” Phil said, crowding him against the counter

“I wouldn’t call talking about our literal child a waste of time. Still, you raise a good point,” Dan replied with a smirk, leaning in.

About five minutes of lazily making out later, they were interrupted by a loud crash.

“Fourteen years and they still don’t know how to knock,” Dan sighed, dropping his head on Phil’s shoulder. Phil, for his part, just laughed and helped him off the counter.

Toby and Aqua, two of the other fairies, and their most trusted (if a little poor at timing) advisors, appeared on a heap in the kitchen floor.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Toby said as he got up, in a voice that meant he clearly wasn’t.

“But something terrible has happened,” Aqua finished for him, also scrambling to her feet.

“What is it?”

“We have reason to believe one or more of the fairies has gone rogue,” Aqua explained.

“And that reason is?”

“Things have been happening. Small things, but it started out small the last time too,” Toby started pacing the length of the kitchen. He was most likely going to be at that a while- he tended to pace and mutter to himself when he was stressed, so the guardians turned their attention to Aqua.

“We’re not sure. There’s been bullying going on by kids who we know have good fairies,” she explained, fiddling with the aquamarine bracelet she never took off.

“And don’t forget that kid who stole from the store without the alarm going off- a fairy definitely could have been helping them,” Toby broke in before resuming his pacing.

“Where’s this been happening?” Dan asked, carefully masking his worry. This all seemed dreadfully familiar.

Aqua hesitated for a moment. Then, softly, “Around St. Bridget’s.”

“That’s Charlie’s school- you don’t think..?” Phil asked, turning to Dan.

“No. Peri wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” he reassured him immediately.

“Regardless, we think you two should come back home- as soon as possible,” Aqua said grimly.

“You know we can’t. We have to stay with Charlie- you’ve been fine running things by yourself,” Dan pointed out, shutting the idea down immediately.

“Just because you two wanted to run off and play house doesn’t mean you can just ignore a threat,” Aqua huffed shortly.

“That’s not what happened and you know it,” Dan stated evenly.

“All we’re saying is that we need you. Or have you forgotten what your title means?” Aqua challenged, not backing down.

“Aqua!” Toby broke in, shocked.

“It’s okay, Toby. We haven’t forgotten. You have us, always. But we’re all Charlie has, we can’t just abandon her,” Phil explained calmly, ever the diplomat.

“Fine. Stay here, but keep an eye out for anything suspicious. We just came to warn you,” Aqua conceded, crossing her arms. She could be hotheaded, but she also knew there was no use in trying to pry them away from Charlie.

“I’m back!” Peri announced walking through the door, “Where is everyone?”

“You know what this looks like,” Toby said, lowering his voice, “we just want to be safe.”

“We understand.”

With that, the two fairies disappeared, as quickly as they’d come.

“In the kitchen Per!”

“Charlie is at school, safe and sound, and I’m stuck here,” Peri said, hopping up on the kitchen counter.

“You are not ‘stuck here-’” Dan started to say, but Phil managed to jump in before this turned into a full blown argument.

“Is there something you want to talk to us about?” he asked instead, feeling it was best to get to the root of the problem immediately.

“No… Sometimes I just feel like I’m not doing as much as the other fairies. If I went to school with Charlie maybe I’d have a better idea of what she needs,” Peri explained dejectedly.

“Has Charlie once complained that you’re not doing enough?” Phil prompted.

“Well, no…” Peri replied hesitantly.

“Exactly. Trust us, Per, you’re already doing much more than any other fairies your age,” Dan added, softened instantly by the sad and unsure look on Peri’s face.

“Okay… I guess we should start training now then,” Peri replied, sliding down from the counter.

“Do you want to? We have plenty of time if you’d rather do something else first,” Phil offered gently.

“No, I want to. I’m excited to train I promise, I’ve just had this really bad feeling lately and I can’t tell what it is,” Peri told them with a shrug. It was a flippant comment, but in light of recent events, it felt almost like an omen.

“Let’s get started then.”

The three of them made their way outside where the training area was set up, Peri bouncing on her feet excitedly.

“So where do we start? Wand to wand combat? Force fields?” she asked, wand already in hand.

“We’re not doing any of that- At least, not yet,” Dan told her, sitting down on the ground.

“But you said-” Peri started, crossing her arms.

“I know. And we’ll get there. But first, sit down,” Phil told her, sitting down and patting the ground next  to him.

Peri pouted and plopped down on the grass in between them.

“Before combat, you should always center yourself, and make sure the energy you’re sending out is positive. Close your eyes and focus all of your energy on Charlie and good memories you have with her,” Phil instructed, making sure to do the same.

“Do you guys have to do this before using your wands too?” Peri asked looking between the two of them.

“Yes. We don’t really have to use our wands anymore, but when we do, we think about you and Peri and all of the fairies back home. Now focus,” Phil said in an attempt to get her back on track.

“Okay, okay,” Peri sighed, closing her eyes. She thought about the first time Charlie smiled up at her, two teeth just coming in and said, “Pewi.” She thought about the three of them taking Charlie trick-or-treating in a ridiculous group costumes and all of the moms on their block running inside to grab their cameras. She thought about Charlie crying after getting a bad grade and how she was able to make it so a rainbow appeared just as she was getting out of class.

Suddenly she was filled with a warmth she’d never felt before, an appreciation for the little family they built and all the good they’d done for Charlie over the years.

“You’re doing great, Per!” Dan cheered encouragingly.

A soft green light was emitting from Peri, filled with nothing but warmth and positive energy. she was ready. Peri looked down at herself, shocked.

“Whoa,” she breathed.

“This is how you should always feel before you go to use your wand. Ready?” Phil asked, holding out a hand to her.

“Ready,” Peri said with a grin, allowing herself to be helped up.  

“Okay, we’re gonna start off with defense- so learning how to block and defect dark magic,” he explained, taking out his wand.

“What about light magic?” Peri asked, mirroring his stance and getting into position.

“Light magic can’t be used to attack anyone, so you’ll never need to learn how to defend yourself from it,” he told her.

“Good to know.”

“Now, I want you to focus- remember the feeling you just got, and when you feel something coming towards you, I want you to send that feeling back here, tenfold,” Phil instructed, waiting until he was sure Peri was completely ready.

“And be careful!” Dan broke in from where he was sitting on the sidelines watching.

“Ignore him, he hates combat training,” Phil said, but he was looking over at Dan.

“That’s because I had a terrible teacher,” Dan replied with a smirk.

“Really? Because I remember you being quite fond of-”

“Hey! Training, remember? I’m gonna lose all of my positive energy if you two make me nauseous with all your flirting,” Peri interjected before that conversation could go any further.

“Right. Yes, training. Ready, Per?” Phil asked, turning his full attention back to her.

“Ready!”

A blast of dark purple light visible only to fairies erupted into the air, coming at Peri full force. She closed her eyes, focusing the way she’d been taught to, and tried to send it back. Unfortunately, the blast proved to be too strong and she fell to the ground with a thud.

“Peri!” they cried, rushing toward her. She sat up slowly and groaned.

“Are you okay? Maybe we should’ve started with something lighter, I didn’t think-” Phil rambled at lightening speed, checking Peri for injuries.

“I’m fine, I just wasn’t expecting that is all,” Peri explained, shrugging him off and picking up her wand.

“I’m not! What were you thinking? She could’ve been really hurt!” Dan cried, still looking at Peri like she could break at any moment.

“You’re more than welcome to take over if you think you’ll do better,” Phil replied glaring at him.

“That’s not what I-” Dan started to say, but Phil waved him off.

“Forget it. Peri, would you like to go again, or do you want to stop for the day?”

“I’m not hurt. I’d like to keep going, if that’s alright with you?” Peri asked, standing up.

“Of course it is. You almost had it there, just make sure you’re grounded more next time.”

“Noted,” Peri replied brightly, running over to get back into position.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Just with everything going on… I’m worried,” Dan explained quietly as they stood up.

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it. Do you wanna talk about it?” Phil offered, annoyance giving way to concern. Dan only ever snapped at him like that when he was stressed about something.

“What, right now?” Dan asked, looking over to where Peri was making sure her stance was just right.

“Obviously not. Later, after Charlie gets home.”

“Okay. You’d better get back, I think Peri’s gonna try and start offensive training if you don’t hurry up,” Dan joked, pointing to where Peri was tapping her wand impatiently.

Phil laughed before kissing him, once, quickly and running back over to start training again.

 

* * *

 

Later that night, once training was over and Charlie was home from school, Dan and Phil curled up on the couch to watch a movie.

“I’ll never understand your fascination with human movies. The magic in Harry Potter is completely unrealistic,” Dan told him, as they watched.

“You love Harry Potter. Besides, that’s what makes it fun. Hey, maybe we should open up a school! Dan and Phil’s Fairy Training Academy,” Phil suggested, only half-joking.

“Sure, okay. Could you imagine trying to get fairies to follow a set schedule everyday?” Dan replied laughing.

“Our kind are notoriously free spirited. It would be kind of fun, though, wouldn’t it?” Phil asked, and Dan noticed the slight disappointment in his voice.

“Everything we do together is fun,” Dan told him fondly, leaning down to kiss his temple, “now stop talking over Sirius, he’s been waiting twelve years for this.”

“So you want to tell me what’s been bothering you all day after the movie then?” Phil asked, turning to look at him.

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

They spent the rest of the movie in silence, enjoying each other’s company, before having to face some of the more serious problems the day had posed. The ending credits were just starting to roll when they heard someone coming down the stairs.

“You guys have been together for thousands of years, don’t you ever get bored of spending every waking moment together?” Charlie teased, stopping on the foot of the stairs in her pjs.

“Nope,” they answered automatically.

“Gross. I’m going to bed, did you want to come say good night?” Charlie asked, hesitating in the way they knew meant she was asking more for herself than for them.

“Of course. We’ll be up in a minute okay?” Dan told her. She nodded and headed back up the stairs. They exchanged a quick glance before following her to her room- was something wrong?

“When I’m a real, full fledged adult living in my own house, will you guys magically appear to wish me good night when I need you?” Charlie asked, sitting up against her headboard. Technically speaking, they weren’t supposed to have any contact once a child was completely grown up. But they’d already rewritten the rules for Charlie once.

“Sure, Char. We’re here whenever you need us,” Phil told her reaching down to give her a hug. Dan did the same, and Charlie made a contented noise before laying down.

“Thanks. I love you guys.”

“We love you too. Good night Charlie.”

They made the walk to their room hand in hand, even though there really wasn’t any reason for it, and went about their routine. They were brushing their teeth when Dan finally blurted, “Ithinkmaybeoneofusshouldgoback.”

“What? You’ve got a mouth full of toothpaste,” Phil laughed.

“Oh right,” Dan replied, before going to spit. “I think maybe we should talk about one of us going back.”

“To the realm? Why? Is this about what Aqua said?” Phil asked, confused.

“No. Yes. Kind of. It’s just… I keep having this feeling that something bad is coming and we’re not doing anything to stop it,” Dan explained as they rinsed their brushes off.

“Dan, Ruby is not coming back. Whatever threat is coming, we’ll deal with. But that was over 300 years ago, she’s gone,” Phil assured him, walking over to hug him tightly.

“I know. But when that happened I didn’t… I trusted her,” Dan said into his neck.

“We all did. That’s part of why she got away with so much. But things are different now. We know who we can trust, our defenses are better. We’ll be ready this time,” Phil said, running his hand through his curls the way that always calmed Dan down.

“I just… There’s so much more at stake now. Last time I was only worried about you, now there’s Peri, and Charlie. I don’t want anything to happen to them,” Dan admitted, sagging against him.

“Guardians aren’t supposed to play favorites,” Phil reminded him in an attempt to lighten the mood. It startled a laugh out of Dan, which he hoped meant that it had worked.

“Can we lay down now?” Dan asked pulling away.

“Sure. Come on,” Phil answered, pulling him towards the bed. Dan, for his part, wasted no time in making himself comfortable sprawled across bed, and almost completely on top of Phil.

“If staying in the realm makes you feel better, you should,” Phil said after they’d been lying in silence for a few minutes.

“I didn’t say I wanted to go back. I’ve just been wondering if it would be easier to do our job if one of us was there, you know?” Dan asked, looking up at him.

“We’ve been doing our job perfectly fine from here, remember? And I’d miss you guys too much if I left,” Phil said with a shrug.

“Selfish,” Dan teased. Then, “I’d miss you too. A lot.”

“Oh, good. I was worried there.”

“Shut up,” Dan laughed.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. And I promise, what happened with Ruby is never going to happen again, okay?”

“Okay. I love you,” Dan half said, half yawned.

“I love you too. Get some sleep,” Phil said softly, but Dan had already drifted off. He smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his hair, and let sleep take him.

 

* * *

 

The next day, instead of watching Peri train, Dan stole off to the fairy realm. Toby and Aqua met him at the entrance, practically bouncing with excitement.

“Does this mean you’re coming back? Are you staying?” Toby asked in lieu of greeting.

“No, and no. I’ve already told you guys where we stand on this. I just needed to stop by and see things for myself,” Dan explained, already regretting this decision. He’d come on a whim, convinced it would settle his nerves. The opposite was already proving to be true.

“Fine,” Aqua huffed, turning to walk towards the castle. Toby rushed to follow but kept his attention on Dan.

“Where’s Phil? I haven’t seen you without him in the last two hundred years.”

“He’s at home. We didn’t think this visit required both of us,” Dan answered dismissively.

“You’d better take notes then. We’ve got some theories you’ll want to share,” Aqua called over her shoulder.

“The number of incidents has grown since the last time we spoke. Things have also been tense here, leading us to believe whoever’s causing this is going back and forth between the two realms,” Toby explained once it was clear that Aqua was only willing to offer cryptic or sarcastic comments.

“Almost all fairies do that though,” Dan said with a frown, “how are we going to narrow it down?”

“We’re not sure yet. We think the best bet is to see which fairies are where when an incident occurs. It’s still a pretty big pool of fairies, but it’s a start,” Toby replied as they made their way into the castle.

The castle was the only building in the realm, the rest of their world being made up of thick forestland- trees, lakes, rivers, and meadows surrounded them at all times. They sky above was a permanent lavender, with stars were always shining, a new one appearing for each new fairy that appeared. Some fairies lived in houses in the forest, but most opted to live in one of the hundreds of rooms in the castle.

Once inside the castle, they made their way through one of the many winding corridors to the library and sat down around a wooden table in the corner. There were a few fairies bustling around, reading books or sitting in groups, and Dan pretended not to notice the whispering and staring that started the minute they walked in. There were more important things to worry about here.

“I just don’t get it. Turn some kids against each other, get some of them to break a few rules. What’s the end goal here?” Dan asked shaking his head. The whole thing made no sense.

“Our best guess right now is that they want to create chaos. Fairies exist to put kids on the right path, and they’ve been disrupting that as much as possible,” Aqua explained, which was the most useful thing she’d said all day.

“Alright. I should get back home, but thank you guys. Really, it means a lot,” Dan said after they’d spent a few more hours debriefing. There really wasn’t anything left to discuss, and he missed his family.

“Hey, we’re your advisors, right? It’s what we’re here for,” Toby replied clapping him on the shoulder.

“We live to serve. Say hi to Phil for us,” Aqua said, waving.

“I’ll see you guys soon. Don’t hesitate to let us know the minute you find something out,” he told them before disappearing from their sight completely.

 

* * *

 

“I’m home!” Dan called walking into the living room.

“Just in time! We’re about to play Monopoly,” Phil replied, gesturing to where the game was set up on the table.

“Please don’t ever leave him alone again. We’ve played so many games,” Charlie said desperately, running over and hugging him.

“I was gone one day, and you broke Charlie?” Dan asked smiling over at Phil.

“I thought she was having fun,” he squeaked in defense.

“I was! So much fun. And now I’m tired. Come on Per,” Charlie said, detangling herself from him.

“Good night guys,” Peri said, following Charlie upstairs.

“Want me to help put away all the board games?” Dan offered, sitting down on the couch.

“After. Missed you too much,” Phil replied, clambering into his lap.

“You know, in human relationships this would be considered codependent,” Dan pointed out, smiling up at him.

“You know, we could be doing other things with our mouths right now, and not talking about how humans construct relationship ideals,” Phil countered, pouting. 

“Fair point,” Dan replied, reaching up to close the gap between their lips.

 

* * *

 

Eventually though, they had to talk about what was happening. Dan put it off the best he could for the next few days, offering distraction after distraction, but when he suggested making waffles at two am, it was pretty easy for Phil to catch on to what was happening.

“Is it really that bad?” he asked, taking the flour out of Dan’s hand and putting it down on the counter.

“No- well, maybe. The worst part is that we just can’t tell yet. Whoever’s doing this seems to just want to mess things up. There isn’t a clear goal,” Dan explained, starting to pace the minute his hands were empty.

“Well that’s good isn’t it? Well, not _good_  good, but better than last time,” Phil replied, taking his hand in an attempt to steady him. Dan stopped pacing, allowing himself to be pulled in, and sighed.

“I think it’s still too early to tell.”

“Too early to tell what?” Peri asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Per? What are you still doing up?” Phil asked, looking over to her.

“I can’t sleep. I keep having this weird dream- Charlie is there and I’m supposed to bring her somewhere, but every time I get close, she disappears,” Peri explained, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Dan and Phil shared a look. Fairy’s dreams were not to be taken lightly. Fairies usually didn’t dream, but occasionally, if their child or their home was in danger, warnings would come to them in flashes, at night when their guard was down. Dan hadn’t had a dream since The Uprising.

“What? What is it? You know I hate it when you do that whole ‘silent conversation thing,’” Peri said looking back and forth between the two of them.

“This is worse than I thought… Peri, your dreams are trying to tell you something,” Dan explained, sitting down next to her.

“Is it Charlie? Is she in trouble?” Peri asked worriedly.

“We don’t know. Maybe,” he admitted finally.

“Maybe? What do you mean maybe?”

“Things have been happening. Bad things, and we’re trying to figure out who’s behind them.”

“What’ll you do when you find them? Our magic is extremely limited in this world- and light magic can’t hurt anyone.” Even in this time of crisis, they couldn’t help but be proud of Peri. She was learning so much, so quickly. In any other circumstance, it’d be a time to celebrate. But as it was, there were much darker things ahead.

“We’re not sure yet. Find out exactly what they’re planning, how many fairies are on their side. Maybe solve this peacefully. Either way, we don’t want you worrying about this okay?” Phil said, running a hand through Peri’s hair.

“What do you mean don’t worry? I want to help! It’s my job,” Peri protested immediately.

“Per, your only job is Charlie. It’s really important that you focus on her okay?” Dan told her gently.

They could tell Peri wanted to argue, but she just sighed deeply.

“Okay. Okay, fine. But if something goes down, I’m not just gonna sit at home while you deal with it. I’ve been training everyday, I’m ready,” Peri insisted.

“We know you are, Per. But for now, all we need you to do is get some rest,” Phil told her in his best ‘end of discussion’ voice.

“Alright. I’ll see you guys in the morning,” Peri conceded, before going to hug them both.

“Good night, Per. We love you.”

“Love you too,” Peri yawned, before heading up the stairs to her room.

Peri was barely up the stairs before Toby and Aqua appeared to them.

“You need to come with us. Both of you,” Aqua said solemnly.

“What, now? Why?” Phil asked, confused. Aqua was always saying they should move back to the realm, but she never outright demanded it.

“We’ve figured out what’s happening. And you’re not going to like it,” Toby explained.

“Why can’t you just tell us here?” Dan asked, frustrated. He hated not knowing what was going on.

“Because your house is the one place in the human world our magic works- if we get overheard here, it could be dangerous. For everyone,” Aqua said with a pointed look towards the stairs.

“Alright, we’ll come back with you. But only to find out what the threat is. We need to be back before the girls wake up,” Dan agreed reluctantly.

“You know, if you cared about the fairies you’re supposed to be protecting as much as you cared about that one human child, we might not be having this-”

“Aqua, stop. You know that’s not fair. Everything we do is for the good of the fairies,” Phil chided, cutting her off.  

“Well, not everything,” Aqua muttered, but she let it drop.

“Let’s just go. The sooner we find out what’s going on, the sooner we can fix it,” Dan said quickly. They really couldn’t afford to stand here arguing, especially if they wanted to be back before morning.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Aqua answered, and in the blink of an eye, they were in the realm.

 

* * *

 

The minute they landed, Phil could tell something was off.

“Dan,” he whispered, trying to get the other’s attention.

“What’s wrong?” Dan asked, turning to him.

“Something’s wrong. I don’t know what, but-” he started to say, but Aqua cut him off.

“Well, aren’t you clever,” she drawled from her spot next to them. She took out her wand, and they found themselves immobilized.

“Aqua? What are you doing, what’s going on?” Dan asked, more confused than ever.

“Here’s what’s going on. You call yourselves Guardians of the Fairies, and yet for the last fourteen years, you haven’t been protecting us at all,” she explained harshly. A group of fairies started to form around them, all wearing expressions similar to Aqua’s. There was Emma, a fairy they’d help train years ago, and Sapphire, a fairy who’d been having trouble adjusting to the human world until they’d let her stay with them for a few weeks. Every fairy they’d ever interacted with or helped was here, but none of them seemed to remember any of that.

“What are you talking about? We would give our lives to protect you, that’s the whole point!” Phil felt betrayed; All this time the fairy causing chaos was the one they trusted more than anything. How could this have happened?

“And yet when there was a significant threat to our world, all you cared about was your precious human,” Aqua answered

“The whole point of our existence is to protect human children! Or have you forgotten what we were created for?” Dan challenged impatiently. All this time the real threat had been right in front of them. And they’d missed it.

“I don’t even have a child! I can’t, because you kept me trapped here, doing your dirty work!” Aqua cried suddenly. Dan didn’t think he’d ever heard Aqua that hurt or angry, and that's saying something. It wasn’t exactly hard to get on her bad side.

“Is that what this is about? We appointed you and Toby advisors because we trus- wait, where’s Toby?” Phil asked, looking around. Aqua and Toby were almost never a few feet apart.

“He’s making a delivery for me,” Aqua replied with a smirk, and almost on cue Toby appeared, carrying Charlie and Peri.

“Let them go, they have nothing to do with this,” he pleaded, immediately, unable to look away from the sleeping girls. Were they okay? Were they hurt? If he wasn’t immobilized, he was almost sure he’d just run over and rip them out of Toby’s arms himself.

“Don’t they though? Was it not this fairy who convinced you two to give up the throne to look after one human child?” Aqua asked, walking over and shaking Peri awake.

“Aqua?” Peri asked confused, blinking awake slowly.

“Welcome home, Per,” Aqua said with a smirk.

“I don’t understand. What’s happening? Why is Charlie here? I thought humans couldn’t survive the realm,” Peri asked, starting to panic.

“That’s right, they can’t. It’s her or us- you have an hour to decide,” Aqua stated evenly, and the next thing they knew they were in the castle, in their old room, and Charlie was nowhere to be found.

“She can’t do this- what does that even mean ‘her or us?’” Dan asked, pacing back and forth furiously.

“I don’t… I don’t know. But pacing isn’t going to help. We have to figure out how to get out of here, and get to Charlie before she runs out of oxygen,” Phil reminded him, stepping in front of him and placing his hands on his shoulders.

“What are we going to do?” Dan asked, sounding broken.

“We’re  going to get out of here, and we’re going to find Charlie,” Phil told him, hoping he sounded more sure than he felt.

“How?” Dan asked, leaning into his touch.

“Magic,” Phil answered with a comforting smile, “First things first- let’s get the charm off this room.”

“Okay,” Dan said nodding slowly, “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Can I help?” Peri asked, from where she’d been sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Of course, Per. Are you okay? The last thing we wanted was for you to get swept up in all this,” Phil said, kneeling down in front of her.

“It’s my fault, though, isn’t it? I could’ve taken her inside the hospital, let her go to a foster home… I could’ve just done my job the same way everyone else does, and then you wouldn’t of had to follow me,” Peri lamented, putting her head in her hands.

“Hey. You can’t think like that, Per. You were doing your job. Charlie needed you, and you went. You needed us, and we went. Never regret doing something for the good of your child,” Phil told her with as much conviction as he could muster in their current situation.

“Okay,” Peri agreed with a watery smile, and stood up, “Ready?”

“Ready.”

The three fairies stood in front of the door, wands in hand, and focused all of their energy on feelings of hope, openness, and freedom. The door shook a little, before flying open.

“Aqua seems to have forgotten that our magic still overpowers hers,” Phil noted as they walked out.

“Why don’t we go remind her?” Dan suggested with a smirk.

“How are we going to find her?” Peri asked, sounding worried.

“Throne room,” Dan and Phil replied immediately. When they still lived in the Realm they’d have to sit in the throne room for hours, as fairies came and went seeking their advice. It was the only room in the castle built to hold large groups of fairies, and from the sounds of it Aqua definitely wanted an audience for whatever she had planned.

“Throne room it is then. Lead the way,” Peri answered, steeling herself.

“You sure about this Per? You can stay here, where it’s safe,” Phil offered gently, noting the way her voice was shaking.

“Yes, of course I’m sure. I’m scared- who knows what Aqua has planned. But this is bigger than that. This is about Charlie, and the good of the fairies,” Peri told him adamantly.

“You trained her well. It’s gonna be fine,” Dan assured him squeezing his hand.

“Okay. Okay, let’s go,” Phil agreed finally, and the three made their way to the throne room in the center of the castle.

 

* * *

 

As predicted, Aqua was sitting on one of the thrones, Charlie curled up asleep, in the other one.

“Took you long enough!” Aqua called when they walked in.

“Aqua, please just send Charlie home. We can talk about this,” Phil pleaded, glancing over to Charlie. She wouldn’t have much more time.

“And why should I do that? Why should any of us listen to you when you’ve abandoned us for the last decade?”

“We never abandoned you- we were created to protect children and keep them on the right path. How is holding one captive aiding that in any way?” Dan asked, in a desperate attempt to get through to her.

“Don’t try and reason with me. My demands are simple. I want everything to go back to the way it was before. Ever since what happened with Ruby nothing has been the same! I’d been training so hard, I was ready. And then you guys got weird and paranoid and I hate it!” Aqua snapped, her voice breaking slightly.

“Aqua…” The room was filled to the brim with fairies, but no one dared make a sound. For a fairy to go through all of their training, and not even be sent to a child? None of them could fathom what that must’ve felt like.

“You’re right,” Peri said, breaking the silence.

“I’m… What?” Aqua asked turning to her.

“I didn’t even start training before I went to Charlie. There was a child that was born, and I could feel they needed me, so I went. We would all do anything, give our lives for the children we protect. It’s not fair that you were denied that, especially when it’s clear how amazing you’d be at it.” While she was talking, Peri risked walking over to where Aqua was sitting. Aqua, for her part, was completely stunned into silence.

“I still miss every child I protected- and some of them are grandparents now,” one of the fairies said, with a sad, wistful smile.

“Sometimes I pop back into the human world to check on Theo- that was my last kid. I never let them know I’m there, but I just watch,” another fairy added, glancing out the window as if, if they stared hard enough, they’d be able to see their kid from there.

The throne room was soon filled with different fairies’ stories of their children- how guiding and protecting them was the most fulfilling thing they’d ever done, how hard it was to leave them once they reached adulthood.

Dan turned to Phil, a realization dawning on him. After Ruby had tried to turn the realm to chaos, it was decided that the Guardians would no longer go into the human world the same way the other fairies did. They needed to stay in the realm watching and protecting the fairies, making sure nothing like that ever happened again. 

At first they’d been happy to do it, but with each fairy that left for the human world to go to their child- to be a companion, a protector… It hurt more that they could no longer experience that. Guardians were supposed to intervene only when necessary, but they’d be lying if they said they didn’t stay up some nights, imagining what it’d be like to have a child of their own.

“I think we might have done something selfish,” he said after a minute.

“I know… I just wanted to know the joy of watching a child grow up so much,” Phil admitted, looking down.

“Me too. And raising Charlie has been the best experience I ever could have asked for,” Dan told him, reassuring him that he wasn’t alone in this feeling. Phil nodded in agreement, tossing him a rueful smile.

“But it’s possible we let some things slip through the cracks,” he replied, holding out a hand, “Ready to make it right?”

“Always,” Dan replied  With this, the two made their way to the thrones.

“You’re right Aqua, we haven’t been fair. We used Charlie as an excuse to return to the human world without really thinking of how it would affect the rest of you,” Phil said once they were stood directly in front of her.

“What are you saying?” Aqua asked, skeptically.

“We’re saying let us bring Charlie home, and when we come back, we’ll figure out a way to meet your demands, okay?” Dan offered, as gently as possible.

Aqua looked out at the fairies, all watching the scene unfold intently, and then turned back to them.

“...Okay,” she agreed finally.

Relieved, they ran to where Charlie was curled up, still fast asleep. Dan gathered her into his arms, and in a flash the three of them were back at home. He lay Charlie down on the couch and gently shook her awake. Charlie sat up, blinking awake confusedly.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I think so- My head hurts a little. What happened? Toby was here and he said you guys needed us and then… I can’t remember anything,” she explained shaking her head.

“It’s okay, you’re safe,” Phil assured her immediately.

“Well, yeah. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me,” Charlie replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Never,” Phil agreed smiling at her.

“Wait, where’s Peri?” Charlie asked looking around.

“She’s at home- our other home. There’s something we need to take care of there,” Dan explained, standing up.

“But you’ll come back, right? All of you?” she asked looking between the two of them.

“Of course, Char. Always.”

They each hugged Charlie tightly, kissing her forehead quickly, before linking hands and disappearing from sight.

 

* * *

 

“Ready?” Phil asked, once they landed in the realm.

“Wait, before we go- remember the day we were training and you tripped over a branch when I waved to you?” Dan asked suddenly.

“And I was holding my wand and a bunch of hearts flew out? I remember that being really embarrassing,” Phil replied shuddering at the memory.

“It was endearing. That was the moment I realized I was in love with you,” Dan told him smiling softly.

“Really? Then?” Phil asked incredulously, but he was smiling too.

“Sorry it wasn’t something more glamorous,” Dan laughed.

“Why are we even talking about this now?”

“I don’t know, sometimes I watch you with Charlie and Peri and I think about that day, and I love you so much I feel like there’s enough magic in me to power the entire realm,” Dan said with a shrug.

“Great, we’re gonna go into this very serious meeting with me in tears,” Phil laughed, teary eyed, and wrapped his arms around him.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I love you too. So much. And whatever happens now, we’ll get through it. Together,” Phil replied, pulling away and taking his hand instead.

“Together,” Dan agreed, and the two made their way to the castle.

 

* * *

 

They returned to the throne room where Peri was now sitting on the throne opposite Aqua and they were talking quietly. The fairies that had stayed to hear what they were going to do were milling about, probably speculating on what was about to happen.

“Right on time!” Aqua called when she saw them. Whatever her and Peri had been talking about seemed to have calmed her down.

“We told you we’d come back,” Dan said as they approached the thrones.

“I know. Let’s get to it then,” Aqua said, standing up. She paced back and forth a few times, before stopping to list her demands. She explained how the fairies agreed they wanted them to come back and train, and give out advice the way they used to. They understood that they were raising Charlie, but that didn’t mean they could abandon the entire realm altogether. Dan and Phil nodded, understanding now. They weren’t just fairies, they were the Guardians of the fairies, and somewhere along the way they’d forgotten that.

“I also really, really, want the chance to be assigned to a child of my own,” Aqua finished, almost shyly.

“I think that can be arranged,” Phil told her after she’d finished.

“Really?” Aqua asked looking between the two of them.

“Really,” Dan echoed, and so much positive energy radiated from Aqua the entire throne room seemed to turn turquoise.

 

* * *

 

**_One month later_ **

“Charlie! Peri! Breakfast’s ready- I made pancakes!” Phil called up the stairs. The two girls ran downstairs excitedly and sat down at the table.

“I tried to make them in the shape of leaves for fall, but it… Didn’t exactly work out,” he explained sheepishly, placing the plate of misshapen pancakes down in front of them.

“You don’t even want to see the first batch,” Dan added, sitting down at the table opposite them.

“At least they taste okay?” Peri offered after taking a bite of one.

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” Phil teased, giving her a grateful smile.

“Does this mean I get to come help you train today?” Peri asked excitedly.

“It does.”

“Yes!”Peri squealed, eating her pancakes twice as fast.

“You’re still gonna walk me to school though, right?” Charlie asked looking over at Peri, who just nodded quickly. Charlie in turn, rolled her eyes and directed her attention back to her own plate.

“Have a good day at school. We’ll be back a few hours after you get home, but Peri will be here,” Dan explained once Charlie was ready to go.

“I know, I know. It’s the same thing every day. You know you don’t have to send Peri back early, right?” Charlie asked, picking up her bookbag.

“We just don’t want you to feel alone,” Phil told her. One of their biggest worries when they agreed to spend their days in the realm, doing their jobs as guardians the way they’d been neglecting, was Charlie coming home to an empty house each day.

“I never feel alone. I know you’ll always be with me,” Charlie told them. Phil smiled and hugged her tightly.

“Always,” he said into her hair.

“Never forget that okay?” Dan added, joining their hug.

“I won’t, I promise,” Charlie told them. She would, one day- all children forget their faires. But she’d always be able to feel that she was loved, and that was enough.

“You guys are ridiculous,” Peri muttered, but she was already walking over to complete their group hug.

“Go on, now. We don’t want you to be late for school,” Dan said as they pulled away.

“I know, we’re going. Love you guys!” Charlie called over her shoulder as she left.

“Love you too!” they called back watching her leave, Peri not far behind.

“You know, even with everything that’s happened, I don’t regret choosing to raise her even a little bit,” Phil said after the girls were out of sight.

“Me neither. Ready for another exciting day training new, excitable fairies that can barely control their powers?” Dan teased, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“I’m ready for anything when I’m with you,” Phil replied, smiling up at him.

“Thousands of years together, and you’re still such a sap,” Dan joked in an attempt to hide his blush. Phil, who knew exactly when something he said made Dan flustered, just grinned wider.

“You love it though.”

“You know what? I kind of do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed  
> Come say hi on tumblr @obsessive-mess


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